The Predicting Mind: How the Prognostica Mens and Attention Organize Our Self
This article introduces the Prognostica Mens (PM), the core of the Integrated Theory of Mind (TIM). The PM conceptualizes the Self not as a localized entity, but as a dynamic orchestrating network that uses constant prediction to unify consciousness. Its function is based on the conversion of a physical signal into conscious information (Transduction) at the level of the Cognitive Periphery and its subsequent processing in the Cognitive Center. The PM operates through two distinct modes: the Predictiva Mens (PdM) (the ‘autopilot’ that synchronizes mental processes) and the Responsiva Mens (RM) (the executive agent that intervenes in case of error). It is demonstrated that attention is the tool of the RM for correcting failed predictions, rather than the cause of awareness itself. The analysis distinguishes between the bottom-up structural increase of the PM (Holistic and Quantum Morphogenesis) and the acquisition of Output Experience (Articulatory Orchestration), explaining how the Self (through its evolutionary stages: Ego Agens, Ego Socialis, Ego Cogitans) transforms with experience.